Title:

Rubber Band

Broad Question:

Will changing temperatures affect a rubber band's elasticity?

Specific Question:

What will happen to the elasticity of a rubber band if you cool it down and then heat it up?

Hypothesis:

I hypothesize that the hotter water will make the rubber band stretch more than it being cold.

Variables

Independent Variable:

Hot water

Dependent Variable:

The stretching length(cm)

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

Type of rubber band, size of rubber band, how much water out in the pot or kettle, warm water, cold water, ruler, play dough and 100g hooked steel weight

Graph of Hypothesis:

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General Plan: Experimental Design

I am going to see what will happen if I cool down and heat up a rubber band. First, I will be heating a rubber band and then stretch it with a weight(100g). I will be taking another rubber band and making the rubber band really cold and try to stretch the rubber band with a (100g) weight. I will then record my data and see which rubber band stretches the farthest.

Materials List:

Water, cold water, Pot or kettle, Wooden spoon, or other long-handled tool for stirring, Ruler or tape measure metric, Play dough or putty and Popsicle stick(something to stir with)

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Background Research:

The main material in a rubber band is Rubber and also contains Latex. Rubber bands are very stretchy. A lot of rubber bands today are made from synthetics, but originally rubber bands came from the sap of a rubber tree. Today rubber bands are most commonly used to hold multiple items together. The rubber band is water resistance, elastic, and light weight.

References:

"Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature." Science Fair Project Ideas, Answers, & Tools. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/ApMech_p026.shtml>.

"Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature." Science Fair Project Ideas, Answers, & Tools. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/ApMech_p026.shtml.

"Alliance Rubber Company - Rubber Band Basics." Alliance Rubber Company - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.rubberband.com/customer-service/glossary.html>.

Detailed Procedure:

1. Do the background research.
2. Heat a pot of water to boiling on the stove top, and then carefully pour the boiling water into the graduated cylinder.
3. Now take your scissors and cut one rubber band so that it is a straight ribbon rather than a circle.
4. Next tie one end of the rubber band to the middle of the skewer, and the other end to the hook on the steel weight.
5. Gently, lower the 100 gram steel weight and the rubber band into the graduated cylinder. Rest the skewer across the opening of the graduated cylinder to prevent the whole thing from falling inside. Use putty or play dough to secure the skewer to the edges of the graduated cylinder so the skewer doesn’t fall in the cylinder.
6. Measure the water temperature with a thermometer. With the ruler, measure the rubber band stretch length between the skewer and the weight.
7. Continue to measure the water temperature and stretch length until the water temperature is stable around room temperature.
8. Once the temperature has stabilized, pour out approximately 25ml of water from the graduated cylinder. Add 25ml of ice water to replace it. Mix the water in the graduated cylinder thoroughly with the handle of a wooden spoon or other long implement. Measure the water temperature and rubber band stretch length.
9. Repeat step 8. until the final water temperature is about the same as your ice water.
10. Use a new rubber band each time. Make sure the starting length of your rubber bands are about the same.
11. Make a line graph of the rubber band stretch length as your y-axis and the water temperature as your x-axis.
12. Then see what had happened to the rubber band

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Graph of Results:

Data Table:

Photos:

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Data Analysis:

Conclusion:

I found out that the boiled rubber band stretched the farthest then room temperature then frozen and then refrigerated.

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Discussion:

My hypothesis was. "I hypothesize that the hotter water will make the rubber band stretch more than it being cold." My results do support my hypothesis. I think the tests i did went very smoothly. It went very smoothly because i didn't have to redo anything while doing my experiment.